Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Got Crepes? Make Chicken Cannelloni!

As promised, here is what I did with the crepes from the "how to make crepes" video recipe. These thin, almost transparent beauties (crepes are the supermodels of the pancake world) freeze wonderfully. I took them out of the freezer and put them in the fridge to thaw overnight, since the only issue you may have is thawing them too quickly in a hot kitchen may cause the edges to dry out a bit.

I was going to do a video recipe of some dessert crepe like cr
epe Suzette, or maybe crepe cherry jubilee, but since bathing suit season is right around the corner, I decided to do a savory recipe. Dessert crepes are delicious, but not recommended when you're trying to squeeze into a Speedo.

This very simple chicken cannelloni recipe can be made with a variety of meats, cheeses (but use real ones, like the Parmesan shown here) and sauces, so watch the technique and then freestyle. By the way, before you ask, the difference between a cannelloni and a manicotti, is the later is an open tube of pasta, and a cannelloni is normally closed up as you see here. Many restaurants, however, use the terms interchangeably. I sure hope you make some crepes, and then give these a try. Enjoy!



Ingredients:
6 crepes
2 cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup fresh cheese
4 oz mozzarella
1 egg
2/3 cup grated parmesan
2 tbsp chopped fresh Italian herbs
salt and pepper to taste
pinch of cayenne
splash of olive oil
1 minced garlic clove (my sauce had lots of garlic, so this was not added in the clip)
2 cups tomato sauce

38 comments:

Anonymous said...

I'd rather have a cannelloni than a dessert crepe any day!!

Anonymous said...

Good idea, I have made cannelloni but never with chicken or crepes. Now you've put ideas in my head!

Anonymous said...

Luv the Italian!

Anonymous said...

Journey! I can name that tune in 30notes...
Yes, it is annoying that you made your own fresh cheese... but I am on the EDGE OF MY SEAT waiting for that clip! PLease tell me that it will be less tricky than sourdough starter!
I LOVE this recipe. I am going straight to the kitchen to make it with packaged pre-shredded mozza.

Chef John said...

its the easiest recipe ever!

Anonymous said...

Made it tonight and it was great! Used a bit of feta along with the mozzarella for the filling and it seemed to work well with it.

Loren said...

Hi Chef John,

I'm tagging you for my Five Facts Meme.

Chef John said...

luuuuvvv feta!

Anonymous said...

Chef,

If I make the crepes ahead and freeze them, do I need to put something in between each crepe or will they seperate easily?

By the way, this is my kind of recipe which can be said for most of your recipes.

Also, the orzo risotto is still one of my favorites and I encourage anyone who hasn't seen it to check it out.

Dan

Chef John said...

No, they will not stick to each other. Just don't thaw to quickly and dont pile up to many and they will be fine.

Anonymous said...

Chef John- These look incredible! And you're right- you simply must use the real cheese. There's no faking the real stuff!

Chef John said...

Thanks! You can't fake the funk(y cheese)!

Anonymous said...

I love chicken...thanks for sharing that recipe...

Anonymous said...

crepes are the supermodels of the pancake world... LOL...

Anonymous said...

Oh NO!! This is too delicious!

Unknown said...

The photo with Chef John holding the small piece of Parmesan cheese in front of his Chicken Cannelloni (crepes) was featured on Tastespotting.com the very last day the site was up. I remember seeing dozens of Food Wishes recipes featured there. Let's hope it returns, or some form of Tastespotting.com comes forward to fill the void left on the internet.

Anonymous said...

Tried both, the crepes and the canneloni today. Terrific!!

Anonymous said...

did you forget to put egg in the ingredients?

Chef John said...

yes. yes i did. thanks

HBS AQiM said...

Dang thats delicious,you made me hungry,thanks!

Anonymous said...

looks like a great recipe. I'll try it tomorrow. I don't have any left over chicken, so how would you recommend I cook it? Saute in a pan?

Oh and btw, I'd really love to know what song you used at the end of the video there (if you still remember)...

Chef John said...

You can use any cooking method, but don't overcook since you'll be baking again. The song at the end is Rebirth of Slick by Digable Planets

Anonymous said...

can i use cottage cheese?

Chef John said...

yes, but not as rich (or good)

Mary Rose said...

Not sure if you'll still check comments from an older recipe. I made the crepes yesterday (and was so proud they came out perfect, just as you said!). Tonight I made the Chicken Cannelloni. It was delicious but my crepes were a little smaller since I used an 8 inch pan to make them.

My chicken filling didn't look as well blended. When you say "fresh cheese," did you mean ricotta? I didn't have mozzarella balls on hand, only shredded. I did use freshly grated Romano, though. It just didn't have that nice thick creamy "gloppiness" that you had. :-)

Anonymous said...

How did you made tomato sos? Blending can tomatos and spising it up with salt and peper will work ?

Anonymous said...

which is better for making cannelloni, crepes or pasta? I'm a bit torn of the idea of choosing one ;)

Anonymous said...

I would have to say thank you very much ive always wanted to learn how to make something new and fantastic by the way your how to vid on crepes absolutely amazing only took 3 trys to get one to look almost perfect thank you very much

Dallas said...

Thanks Chef John for the crepe and chicken cannelloni recipes. They came out great and tasted good as well.

Anonymous said...

I made crepes for the first time tonight just so I could make this.

It was simply delicious!

(though I admit to cheating and not using fresh cheese)

Anonymous said...

i saw the egg

Anonymous said...

I made this for dinner, and it was a quick, easy, and delicious meal. Definitely, a keeper!

Anonymous said...

a delightful experience with every bite, magnificent.
BIG thanks to you Chef John!
pett

Matteo said...

Made this last week. It was awesome. Love this site, i make 3 or 4 meals a week with a lil help from Chef John. Going to try this with Hot Italian sausage in the crepe batter instead of chicken.

Lula♥ said...

Wow how great to find someone that does the canelonis with crepes, i ate them like that while growing up, i can't have them any other way. May i recommend Spinach canneloni, filled with red pepper, onions, boiled eggs and spinach, topped with the same tomato sauce and mozarella cheese. My favorite. Just started watching your videos, very short, informative and helpful. Thanks!

Unknown said...

Omg chef john I'm so going tomake some of your devine recipes for my wonder love of my life of 16 very happy years filled with so much love of every great blessed day we feel blessed with to have each other and to also make for my dad and step mom who raisede I love to cook. And make them proud of my meals they are all three so very dear to my heart and I feel very blessed to have them every single day with them is a great memory we've created

Sullivan’s Papa said...

No video link!

Indrek Eiche said...

Oh no!

My favorite recepie has been deleted! Please upload again.